1978 Harley-Davidson 998cc XLCR Racing Motorcycle

Registration no. CUA 121S Frame no. 7F11671HB Engine no. 7F11671HB

• Rare two-year-only model
• Built by the factory to racing specification
• Campaigned by Rick Swiderski

Harley-Davidson had been building the Sportster model for years but by the mid-1970s it had become obvious that something better would be required to compete with the hottest new road bikes from Europe and Japan. Styled by William G Davidson, the company's Design Director, Harley's riposte was the XLCR 'Café Racer', which combined the iron-barreled Sportster engine with a chassis incorporating an XR750-style box-section swinging arm, cast alloy wheels and triple disc brakes. With its matt black-finished engine cases, matching exhaust system and sleek glassfibre bodywork, the XLCR looked lean and mean. Trouble was, the XLCR still couldn't cut it with the opposition, and traditional Harley owners didn't know what to make of it. Sales were disappointing, and the model was dropped after only two years in production. Back in '77, Bike magazine reckoned that the XLCR was essentially "about style and image more than any other machine on the market" and there can be little doubt that turning up on one of these today would get you more attention than any modern sports bike. Only some 3,000-or-so were made and today the rare and stylish XLCR is highly prized by collectors.

We are advised by the private vendor that this example was built by Dave Sedlack, a close friend of the Harley-Davidson Company's directors, who went on to open Harley dealerships in the USA. This bike has been built to full racing specification: total loss electrics; paddock starting; all fastenings wired; oil catch-tanks in place, etc. Never road registered in the USA, this XLCR was campaigned during the late 1970s and early '80s by privateer rider Rick Swiderski. Accompanying documentation consists of a manufacturer's statement of origin and a UK V5C Registration Certificate. Said to be very fast and to sound awesome, this wonderful machine represents a rare opportunity to acquire an example of Harley-Davidson's iconic XLCR built by the factory to racing specification.